Selecting A Web Hosting Company For Your Needs

By Author: Wildfire Marketing Group Content Distribution Team
Total Articles: 49
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Choosing the right web host is not a simple job these days. It could look like thousands have launched over the last few years, and that's likely true. With all of the hosts to sift through, most entrepreneurs don't know where to turn.

For those of you who don't spend your life on online, here are some tips for choosing the right web host for your needs.

1. How long have they been around? A company that started a month ago may have the best intentions, but they haven't worked out the issues that will come up yet. No matter how much knowledge their employees have, until the company has been operating for a while, things won't run as reliably as you may need.

2. Are they actually the web hosting provider, or are they just a reseller? If they are a reseller, they can only offer a certain amount of support. All problems have to get passed to them, then to the real provider, and the answer is then passed back down to you via the same path. This means that support takes longer.

3. Do they offer a guarantee? All reputable hosts have some sort of guarantee.

4. If you're investing in shared hosting, ...
... which you most likely are, how many sites to they usually host on one web server? If they have too many, then your website will suffer. If you're running a website that gets a large amount of traffic, you should avoid shared hosting all together and invest in a dedicated server.

5. Do they support all of the features that your site needs? If you plan to host a few domains on one server, but they don't allow add-on domains, then you have a problem. You need to specify whether you want a Linux or Windows server, as well. There are a number of potential variables, so it's best to speak to the web host about your specific needs.

6. Do they offer 24-7 tech support? Are they available by phone? Some hosts charge extra for phone tech support, so if you don't have an IT staff to handle any problems that may come up, that is certainly something to think about.

7. How do they handle pricing for bandwidth? Some hosts offer unlimited bandwidth, however others offer a predetermined volume and charge you for any volume over that. Since most hosts offer unlimited bandwidth these days, you're probably better off selecting one that does unless you find a significantly better price and you're relatively sure that your traffic will usually remain under the limit.

8. How much disk space to they offer? Many hosts offer unlimited storage, but there are usually restrictions, such as, many will not allow you to use your hosting account to store files. Another example is while they may say they offer unlimited disk space, they may refer to the total capacity, but, restrict you to a specific quantity of files.

These are just some tips for choosing the right web host. Before you make your final decision, be sure that you read their terms of service agreement.
For more information on choosing the right host, visit